1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical pickup device and an optical disk record/playback device for recording or reproducing data onto or from an optical disk such as a compact disc(CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD).
2. Description of the Prior Art
A changer-type optical disk record/playback device, which is an optical disk record/playback device according to the prior art, is provided with a disk accommodating section 100 having a plurality of trays arranged to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the drawing as shown in FIG. 1, and a disk mounted on one or another of the trays is selected by driving the tray in the axial direction and positioned in its record/playback position. Outside the disk accommodating section 100, an optical pickup device 101 is selectively placed around a spindle 102 in an escape position P1 or a working position P2. The optical pickup device 101 is provided with a chassis 103 fixed to the spindle 102, a screw shaft 104 rotatably fixed to the chassis 103, a guide shaft 105 arranged on the chassis 103 in parallel to the screw shaft 104, an optical pickup 106 disposed slidably on the screw shaft 104 and the guide shaft 105, and a turntable 107 for holding and turning a disk. The screw shaft 104 is turned by a feed motor (not shown). The optical pickup 106 is provided with a photo-unit 106a such as an objective lens or an optical detector, directed upward.
When the user gives the reference number of the desired disk tray, the pertinent tray in the disk accommodating section 100 is selected, and the disk on the tray is placed in a prescribed record/playback position. Then, as the user presses the record/playback button, a driving motor 108 turns the spindle 102, and the optical pickup device 101 shifts from the escape position P1 to the working position P2. The disk on the tray is held on the turntable 107, and turned by a spindle motor. Rotational driving of the screw shaft 104 by the feed motor (not shown) causes the optical pickup 106 to shift from the central part to the periphery of the disk to read signals recorded on, or to record signals onto, the disk. Upon completion of recording onto or playback of the disk, the optical pickup 106 returns to its initial position, and the optical pickup device 101 also returns to its escape position P1.
It is a trend prevalent in recent years to require such optical disk record/playback devices to be reduced in size, and attempts are being made to reduce the size and weight of the above-described configuration. The usual arrangement previously was to shift a disk stored in a disk accommodating section to the record/playback position and to accomplish recording or playing back with an optical pickup device fixed in position. The above-described configuration in which, conversely, the position of the disk accommodating section is fixed and the optical pickup device is shifted, the overall size of the optical disk record/playback device can be reduced, and attempts are continued for further reduction in size (see, for instance, the Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2002-109810).
However, the product of any such prior attempt at size reduction requires, when the optical pickup device escapes from the disk accommodating section, much of the movable range of the optical pickup device for its escape space, resulting in a problem of restricting any further reduction in device size.